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(NO Mod I U. E. DU A' VELOOIPEDB.

No. 387,631. Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

WITNES S,

macnzpe zz CHARLES E. DURYEA, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,631, dated August 14, 1888.

Application filed June 16, 1887. Serial No. 241,498. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1', CHARLES E. DURYEA, of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Velocipedes, of which the following is a full description.

The object of my invention is to provide a velocipede for ladies use which shall be less objectionable than machines heretofore shown in that it is light, clean, easy to mount and dismount, and comfortable to operate. I attain this object by means of the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fignre 1 is a perspective of the whole machine, and Fig. 2 is a detail showing the fork by which the front wheel is carried.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

The frame of this velocipedeis tripod shape and composed of thelegs a, I), and c, joined together at the rear central part of the ma chine, and supporting at their junction the post 01, which carries the arms 6 c. The leg 1) extends downward and outward to the wheel fin as direct aline as may be and terminates in the axle of said wheel. The leg 0 likewise extends toward the opposite wheel, 9, until in the line of the axle 0 where it is fixed to the tube c,in which the said axle is placed. The wheel 9 is fixed on one end of the axle and the sprocket-wheel on the other end, while the tube 0 both incloses the axle and provides bearings therefor. The leg a is tubular and extends forward and downward toward the point of contact between the wheel h and the ground. This leg serves as a support for the crank-axle bracket 7c, and terminates below said bracket at a point above level with the axle of the forward wheel, h. This wheel h is carried in the fork Z, which is rigidly attached, as hereinafter described, to the steering-rod o. This steering-rod is provided with an enlarged lower end, which adds strength, and serves as a shoulder to bear against the lower end of the tube a when the steering-rod is inserted in its position in the'tube a.

In Fig. 2 the tube a is broken away, showing the steering-rod 0 inserted therein. The steering-rod projects at the upper end of the tube a far enough to allow the cross-bar a to be attached thereto and held by the nut or.

The ends of the cross-bar are attached byballand-socket or similarjoints to the connectingrods n a, and these in turn are similarly attached to the handle cranks a a These cranks are attached to the handles 1) p, which are swiveled in the sockets m. It is now evident that by turning the handles p p the steering-rod 0 is turned to a greater or less extent, according to the relative length of the handle cranks and the cross-bar. This turning of the steering-rod inclines the wheel to one side or the other, and thus effects the steering. lVhen the wheel h is inclined, its own weight tends to incline it farther. This is not aserious objection; but it acts more satisfactory if provided with some sort ofa self-righting devieesuch as a spring, mfixed at one end to the tube a and at the other bearing against the flat lug m, fixed on the steeringrod.

The fork Z,which carries the wheel h,is made both strong and light by making it do,uble,0ne part serving as a brace to the other. Both parts could be fastened rigidly in the steeringrod 0,- but it is preferred to fasten the upper part rigidly, while thelowerpart slides through eyes at the lower end of the steering-rod, and carries a coiled spring between the steeringrod and a nut on the projecting ends of the said lower part. The elasticity of the upper part and of the coiled spring acting on the lower part greatly lessens the vibration due to the wheel h passing over obstacles. The chainwheel bracket is is also built double, as shown, for the purpose of securing strength and lightmess.

The design of the whole machine is simple, and therefore cheap to build. The lines are mostly straight, and therefore very strong for their weight. The method of steering avoids any rods or other contrivances in front of the rider, and thus renders the machine safer in that thereis freedomin disniounting. The i11- clining of the steering-wheel causes it to be more out of the way of a ladys clothing in mounting; also, in turning, the wheel braces itself,and is therefore not likely to be buckled nor to roll out the rubber tire. Its rolling upon its base, instead of twisting, does not tend to wear the tire flat, as in the usual form of tricycle. The small side wheel is lighter and re quires less room than a larger one, and therefore renders mounting and dismounting easier for a lady. It also permits a satchel or other luggage to be carried in the hand, whereas a large wheel would not give the space necessary.. For ease in coasting, a foot-rest, s, and foot-brake t are provided on the fork of the wheel 7:, as shown, in such a position as to be comfortably used by the feet when coasting and as to serve as a mud-guard. The handles pp and the saddle'post are adjustable for height as in other tricycles,and with the undescribed portion of the machine may or may not be like similar parts of other tricycles.

The most important partof my invention is the method of effecting the steering,by the use of which I render the frame more simple, so cure an open front, and improve the action of the steering-wheel. As shown, the steering is effected by twisting the handles upon their longitudinal axes, as in tricycles having a raekand-pinion steering; but for use on bicycles or on tricycles whose riders prefer a bicyclesteering the handles may be fixed rigidly to the supports 6 e and the said supports pivoted upon the saddle-post as a center. Thus arranged a back-andforward motion of the handles would effect the steering, or a simple method would be to not use the supports e e, handle-levers a a, and connecting'rods a a, but to extend the crossbar outward and forward and provide its ends with handles.

The present machine could be converted into a bicycle by making the legs I) c of equal length, discarding the wheel f, and placing the drive-wheel and chain-wheel '17 side by side between the legs I) c.

I am aware that bicycles have been shown in which the stem of the steering-fork, or the steering-rod, as I have termed it, inclines backward and upward at such an angle that if extended it would pass through or near to the position of the riders seat. I incline it backward to a greater degree than is usual, thus causing it to pass considerably below the riders seat and terminate it just over the main axle. By such placing I am enabled to get the handlesupports e a so low down that a rider standing behind the machine may place his hands upon the handles and spring into the saddle easily. This method of mounting is quite convenient, and is much used by some riders.

I am also enabled to have thehandles at the sides of the rider in a comfortable healthful position without the connectingrods a a interfering with the riders action in any respect.

I claim-- 1. A front-steering tricycle having the steering-rod continued backward and upward in a line from the forward point of contact with the ground to a point below and behind the saddle and over the main axle, where it is connected by suitable means with two verticallyrevolving handles placed one each side of the riders seat.

2. A front-steering tricycle having the steering-rod continued backward and upward in a line from the forward point of contact with the ground to a point below and behind the sad dle and over the main axle, at which point a cross-bar is rigidly attached, of which each end is, by means of a connecting-rod and suitable joints, connected to a crank attached to the stem of a vertically-revolvinghandle in such a manner that a partial revolution of the handles upon their axes will produce a partial revolution of the stecring'rod upon its axis.

3. In a front-steering tricycle, a three-part frame, of which one part extends downward and forward toward the points of contact between the forward wheel and the grou nd, terminating about level with the forward axle and carrying the pedal-bearing support and the steering red, the second part of which frame extends sidewise and downward toward the hub of a small side wheel, terminating at the axle thereof, the third part extending toward the other side of the machine at the same angle as the second part, and terminating in a tube which iucloses and supports the axle of the drivingwheel.

4. A front-steering tricycle having a threepart frame, of which one part extends downward and forward till level with the forward axle, and the two other parts extend downward and sidcwise till in the line of their respective axles, all three parts being straight, and at their junction supporting arms which carry the steering-handles.

5. In combination with the frame of a tricycle, a support for crank-axle bearings con sisting of two yokes of flat iron connected at their ends by U'shapcd pieces of round iron on whose projecting ends bearingboxes are fixed, said supports being attached to the frame of the tricycle by means of clips which pass through holes in the ends of the yokcs.

6. In combination with a front steering tricycle, a brake .formed of flat metal of sufficient width to serve as a mud-guard attached at its rearward lower end to the forks by which the front wheel is carried, and having its upper forward end left free, so that it may be pressed against thetire with the toes while the heels rest upon the foot-rest, thus perform ing the offices of both brake and mud-guard.

7. In a velocipede, the wheclsfy h and the legs a b c, in combination with the cross-barn, the steeringrod 0, and the fork Z, said fork being provided with a coiled spring on the end of its lower part, substantially as described.

8. In a velocipede, the wheels fg 71v and the frame a b c, in combination with the fork Z, the steering rod 0, cross bar a, connectingrods a n, and cranks n? a on handles 12 2.

CH ARLES E. DUI-tYEA.

Witnesses:

IV. II. Fiskn, Jno. II. Hour. 

